Tom Petty ‘Almost Done’ With New Album

After hitting the pause button on sessions for their next record to focus on their 2013 summer tour, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are back at work in the studio.

In fact, as Petty recently told Rolling Stone, "We're nearly done with it." At the start of the tour, Petty believed the new LP would pick up where 2010's 'Mojo' left off; he now says the songs have led the band -- working with co-producer Ryan Ulyate -- in a different direction.

"I always say this, but I'm tremendously excited for this one," Petty said, adding that they have "raised the bar a bit." "It's morphed into songs we would've written around 'Wildflowers' or 'Damn the Torpedoes,' but much more distorted." Given that 'Wildflowers' came out in 1994 and 'Torpedoes' dates back to 1979, that's a pretty fair breadth of material to reference, although either way, the promise of more distortion would seem to indicate another step away from some of the band's quieter, more contemplative efforts.

One thing that isn't changing is the no-frills approach Petty has taken to recording in recent years. "Lately, I just roll in, play the song on the guitar, and they just fall in and we work it out," he mused. "Usually, the first few takes are the best ... I think people are going to like it."